Promoting and Protecting the City's Health

Health Department Announces Olivia and Liam Are Most Popular Names for 2016

Olivia remains the top name for girls; Liam claims the number one spot for boys

120,367 babies born in New York City in 2016

December 27, 2017 — The Health Department today announced that Liam and Olivia were the most popular baby names in New York City in 2016. Olivia had also been the number one name for girls in 2015. In contrast, Liam rose from second to first place for boys, while Ethan (2015’s number one name for boys) fell to third place. The Health Department’s birth certificate records show 710 Liams and 564 Olivias were born in New York City in 2016.

Most Popular Baby NamesNew York City, 2016

RANK

GIRLS

BOYS

1

Olivia

Liam

2

Sophia

Jacob

3

Emma

Ethan

4

Isabella

Noah

5

Mia

Aiden

6

Ava

Matthew

7

Emily

Daniel

8

Leah

Lucas

9

Sarah

Michael

10

Madison

Dylan

TOTAL BIRTHS

58,735

61,632

Name Trends
Nine of the top ten girls’ names from 2015 held their place on the 2016 list. Chloe dropped from the list in 2016. In 2015, Emma and Mia tied for number three, but in 2016, Emma remained third while Mia dropped to number five. Leah moved from number five to number eight. Madison and Sarah switched positions at nine and ten.

For boys, eight out of the 10 top names from 2015 remained in the top ten list for 2016. Jayden and David fell out of the top 10 list for 2016. Daniel and Dylan, which tied for number eight in 2015, are now at number seven and number 10, respectively. Lucas joined the top 10 list in 2016 at number eight.

New York City Births by Borough of Mother’s Residence, 2016
From 2015 to 2016, the number of babies born in New York City decreased 1.1 percent — from 121,673 births to 120,367 (61,632 boys and 58,735 girls). Brooklyn saw the greatest number of babies born last year with 40,125 births. Queens came in second with 26,794 births followed by the Bronx with 19,474 births. 17,199 babies were born in Manhattan and 5,357 were born in Staten Island.

Borough

Count

Manhattan

17,199

Bronx

19,474

Brooklyn

40,125

Queens

26,794

Staten Island

5,357

Most Popular Names by Race/Ethnicity
The top 10 most popular baby names have a strong representation across all racial and ethnic groups. Isabella and Sophia remained the most popular baby names for girls among Latino families. Ava rose to the top spot among Black families, while Madison fell to the second most popular name among Black families. Olivia remained the most popular name for Asian families and rose from number two to the most popular name among White families. Among boys, Latino families again chose Liam most frequently, while Black families preferred Noah. In 2016, Asian families chose Ethan as the most popular name, while White families preferred Joseph.

Rare names
Some New Yorkers gave their children rare names with as few as 10 parents naming their daughters Ariadne, Dulce, and Zofia and sons Amar, Ibraheem, and Ori.

Resources for Expectant Parents
The Health Department has a webpage to guide parents with filling out legal paperwork related to their child including birth certificates, acknowledgement of paternity for unmarried fathers, and information for same-sex couples. For additional details, please visit: Expecting Parents.

Parents who need additional time to name their child for religious or other reasons may register their child’s birth without a first name and go back to add their child’s name later. They may do this without a fee either through DOHMH within 60 days of birth or through the birthing hospital within 12 months of date of birth. Once the name is added, it is final and requires a correction to change.

The Health Department also provides information on free or low-cost services for new parents, ranging from pre-pregnancy health related issues to offering resources to new mothers for keeping their babies healthy. For more information, please visit our website: Pregnancy and Baby Care.

The Health Department’s Bureau of Vital Statistics compiles baby name lists from birth certificates and collects other data, including total births by year and demographic characteristics. To learn more about the information gathered from birth certificates, please visit: Vital Statistics.